Flesh Fire
by xheartmehorrid
Summary: A tale of sorrow, romance, lust, anger, murder, betrayal, and confusion.


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Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha

**Chapter One: Splintered Heart**

The story begins as you see a young raven-haired woman clutching an unconcious child to her bosom, silently weeping. The silvery tears dribble onto his auburn head, and he stirs ever so slightly, his small hands clenching her blouse. She presses her cherry lips to the youth's forehead and gently lays him on the ground, gazing upon him with almost motherly fondness before turning to look at the body she was kneeling beside. Bending close to the breathless half-breed's corpse she presses her icey palms to his cheeks, cupping his tender face for a long moment before she is overcome by sorrow. Nuzzling her face into his shirt her lithe body is wracked by sobs that threaten to break her, and every now and then, she plants a quick kiss on his bloodied neck, avoiding the wound that cost him his life, for tonight is the night of no moon and in his hour of weakness one who was once a beloved friend slit his throat wide open. The amiable monk, Miroku.

The scene changes into a flashback of InuYasha reaching, panicked, for his Tetsaiga, despite the fact that it wouldn't help him in his human form, and Miroku holding Sango's dagger with a crazed expression. Then it shifts to the image of a trembling Kagome, made immobile by her fear, holding a wide-eyed Shippo close to her. Miroku slits InuYasha's throat in one fluid movement, explaining aloud to anyone who would listen that their friendship had been planned, and that he had been sent by Naraku. Chuckling in triumph, he turns slowly to see a furious Sango come running at him. His smug face changes ever-so-slowly to one filled with terror, and Sango whips out the thin sword she kept sheathed at her hip, slitting his torso across it's entire length. Miroku collapses and she crouches down beside him as he cedes himself to death, near tears. She hushes his pre-death ramblings and apologies by putting a quivering finger to his lips, and lover's words are exchanged as Kagome is feeling frightened and dizzy, still hiding with the now unconcious child. The flashback ends, and the scene once more is focused on Kagome, who lifts her head at last to gaze into InuYasha's still-open violet orbs. No longer can she see her reflection within their depths. She wipes her wet cheek with the back of her hand, and with red and swollen eyes, she looks up at her friend who is sitting a distance away.

The young woman stands and gathers Shippo into her bloodstained arms once more, cautiously approaching Sango, who stares blankly at her own hands. The sword has been cast off into the grass a few yards away, and Sango doesn't even move when Kagome sits down beside her. Kagome reaches out to touch her companion, her face softened with concern and sympathy, knowing how hard it must have been for Sango to murder the one whom she had secretly loved for so long. Sango's chocolate orbs focus sharply on the girl, dull without their usual shine, dead. Like a fire that once burned brightly-- but was suddenly doused. Kagome patted her shoulder comfortingly, then went as far as to rest her head against Sango, sighing sorrowfully. Sango looked her friend up and down, absently dissecting her with her eyes, then jerks away suddenly. "Sango..." Kagome begins to say, but Sango shakes her head as if to silence her. She speaks in a shaky voice, saying, "Kagome, Oh Kagome, how can you be so blind..?" The girl looks puzzled, and removes her head from Sango's shoulder. "Blind?" "Yes. You don't see yet that we..we..can no longer be friends, in fact, I'll go now." Kagome's heart wrenches, and she inhales deeply, a look of desperation passing over her tearstained face.

"You don't know what you're saying.."

"Yes, I do. I must go. Please, don't make this harder than it is!"

"We have to stick together. You're confused! Sango, don't leave me, I need you!"

"You'll survive."

"I need you!"

"Kagome," She smiles ruefully at the schoolgirl. "I will always love you, you know that, but our journey is over."

"No, please no.." A fresh stream of tears begins to trickle from Kagome's large, doe eyes.

"Don't give up. There's something great waiting for you, Kagome. Find it. You have my best wishes."

Sango wanders toward the vegetation thickly growing at the forest's edge, and Kirara in her larger form steps out, nuzzling her owner's hand as Sango climbs onto her back. They pad over to the spot where the exterminator was previously seated, and Sango leans to retrieve Miroku's staff, and merely touching it brings tears to her eyes. Over her shoulder she nods solemnly to Kagome and Shippo, who is beginning to thrash violently in the now-weeping Kagome's arms, and with that she and Kirara ascend into the velvety night sky on flaming paws. Kagome whatched them until they were out of sight completely, then sunk to her knees with a loud cry of despair. Shippo tumbles from her grasp and wakes, rubbing his head, his eyes widening as reality comes crowding back upon him. Remembering, he began to quiver, turning his small face towards Kagome. She moved her hands from her own face, forcing a wavering smile to form on her lips for the child's sake.

Unconvinced, he dashes to her side, throwing himself at her stomache and clinging to her as if drowning. She absently strokes his little head and sighs shakily, her free hand resting on her chest, over her heart which was slowly and painfully breaking. She couldn't bring herself to think about burials, for she didn't want to taint the precious bodies with soil, although she wanted a grave to come to. She even mourned Miroku this night-- or at least, she Miroku she had known. The child who was pressed so close against her tore himself away, although he still stayed very close, and he screamed. The scream of a terrified child who had lost everything once, gotten something to make up for it, and lost that too. His young heart had already suffered so much.. she hoped he wouldn't be scarred for the rest of his life because of this, but of course this was inevitable. The youngster's scream rang through the night, carried on a breath of wind across the seas, across time itself. Whimpering, he lay now in the grass and curled up into a tight ball. Kagome sprawled out beside him, exhausted and worn, and lazily draped her arm over him before falling into a restless sleep.

The scene changes now, focusing on a cluster of withered trees nearby. An equally beautiful woman is leaning against a gnarled trunk, forcing herself to breathe deeply, her mind spinning with a whirlwind of questions. Every time she had encountered the group, the monk had been an ally and friend, even fighting alongside InuYasha in battle. So how could this be, that he betrayed them? Of course, he was not her concern. Nor was the demon exterminator who had fled from the pain. Only her lover, now dead, and her reincarnation, the makeshift miko Kagome. But the schoolgirl was not the only one feeling the effects of the Hanyou's death. Kikyou, too, was stunned and hurt, although her pale face showed no sign of it. What of her dreams? What of hell? What of justice, and the death of Naraku, and revenges..? Oh, how tragic. Every hope that was borne in the clay body, and the last of her battered heart, were quashed in a hot minute.

She lay her empty, gaurded eyes upon him, lifeless and beautiful in the wan starlight, Kagome's tears speckled in his mane of raven hair like dew on grassblades. With the elegance and grace that came naturally to her dainty feet, she moved nearer to him, hoping not to wake the young girl and child. Slender, trembling fingers fluttered to her own throat as she saw the nasty wound, a muffled noise escaping her rosebud lips. She wished to kiss him then, but... it seemed wrong. Besides, she did not want to feel too much of this ache, this ache that comes with great loss. She would not lower herself to that. As she would not kiss his gray cheek or bloodstained lip, she would not shed tears, but only say a soft prayer and be gone. Yet she was contented to watch over him for the night. For if the girl would not bury him properly, she would be rid of him herself, as any true Priestess should. Turning her back on the man she'd wasted her whole life chasing, needing, burning for, bleeding for, as she turned her back on everything that made up her being, she stalked into the forest with her head hung low. And she cursed her apathy.


End file.
